Waltz

logo

Topics

  • Part 1: Waltz overview

  • Part 2: Open Source challenges / rewards

Background

  • Waltz: an Enterprise Information System

  • Approx. 6 yrs old (started as pure OSS)

  • 3-4 devs + 1 analyst

  • Transitioned to FINOS earlier this year

  • Several thousand users in DB

  • Gaining users in other financial institutions and other industries

NWM Press Release

nwm press

Deutsche Bank Press Release

db press

FINOS Press Release

finos press

Overview

An open approach to enterprise architecture

  • Widespread frustration with centralised architecture

    • Incomplete, disjoint, adhoc datasets

  • Waltz embraces a collaborative model

  • Promote standardisation

  • Perhaps allow cross bank standards

Approach

  • Help large orgs to understand their technical landscape

  • What things are, what they do, how they connect, who works on them and how they are changing

  • Widely used by diverse set of users

Uses

  • App rationalisation, function decomms, migrations, roadmaps

  • Data architecture: lineage (BCBS), auth sources

  • (Regulatory) Compliance

    • GDPR, Records Management, Legal Holds

  • SDLC & KPI’s / KRI’s

    • Platform adoption, standard adherence

Model

  • Strict data model

    • Applications, Taxonomies, Data flows & Data types

    • Organisational Units, People, Change Initiatives & Roadmaps

    • Servers, Databases, Software & Licenses

  • Opinionated model allows us to do more 'out of the box'

Customisation

  • …​but we do have some extension capabilities

    • Assessments

    • Metrics

    • Surveys

Grouping

  • Dynamic aggregation based on traits

  • Ad hoc group creation

  • Automated groups

Basic flows

flows

Taxonomies

taxonomies

Drawing flow diagrams

diag

Open Source

Open Source & the Enterprise

Observations are mine, not those of my client

Fundamentals

  • If you want people to adopt, shift to open dev

    • Use accessible issue trackers

    • Don’t want your project commit log to be 'just a bunch of stuff that happened'

    • Isolate any non OSS components (e.g. databases)

Challenges

  • Realistic sample data difficult to produce

  • Need to be v. careful with commits

    • Extra review step for data leakage concerns

  • IP concerns extend to design docs and issue descriptions

Challenges (cont.)

  • Project pressures

    • Long term roadmap vs short term tactical needs of funding company

    • Stakeholders not always sympathetic to doing the 'right thing' for everyone

  • Lack of commercial support

    • Barrier to adoption by smaller orgs

Leverage the OSS Ecosystem

  • Abundance of very good project support:

    • Building, Testing

    • Quality, Security

  • Usually extremely easy to onboard and use

  • FINOS offer support and guidance

Contributing

Thanks for listening